Yesterday, I was reminded that here in the valley, we do not have time. We can’t be rigidly bound to a to-do list if a tree is down and blocking the road. So even if I’d wanted to be elsewhere, I couldn’t get out until we’d cleared the debris and made the tree safe. And … Read more
Yesterday, several threads came together to weave into one of those amazing pictures that feel familiar while offering new dimensions. ‘Eventually, you need to start being you, and then – you need to get really good at it.’ + Hugh MacLeod, Artistic Director and Lead Creative Writer, Gapingvoid This was an insightful quote in a … Read more
I suspect that this kind of stillness doesn’t mean being rigid and motionless. It’s not an absence. Instead, it’s a wholeness characterised by being settled in our own skin. And I suspect it isn’t achieved by earnest pursuit of self-actualisation. Rather by being at peace with who we are. Making healthy choices with insight and … Read more
We have places for many things, but where is the space for our soul? This isn’t as esoteric or woo-woo as we might think. It’s just a question we’re not used to asking. Yet without it, our inner being will wither, and our resilience to do the tough stuff will fade. Pause. See differently. Re-story … Read more
There’s something about being in the natural environment that reveals our humanness. And this isn’t just out in the wilds, it’s also in parks and gardens. Being quiet in the more-than-human world paradoxically both amplifies and puts into perspective who we are as human beings. We see ourselves more clearly. This weekend as I and … Read more
Singular, yet not alone, connected by threads of life. A momentary, fleeting presence yet as old as these hills, singing a distinctive song that’s part of a glorious chorus. A rhythm of being, that echoes all around. + Sue Heatherington And I could so easily have trampled upon this delicate fruiting body in the hillside … Read more
Being human is an extraordinary gift, and with it comes the opportunity to be present. To choose to cultivate our inner and outer being – our soul and our relationships, including our work – because they are inseparable. Because our presence, in its fullness, is our gift to each other and the difference we seek … Read more
The wonderful thing about my daily wandering through the valley is seeing what emerges. From the tiny first shoots of an oak tree sprouting from an acorn to the little black squiggles of tadpoles. Yet I don’t see living beings – our more-than-human world – endeavouring to be something other than what they are. There … Read more
I suspect I’m not the only one who, when faced with contradictions, assumes I must be doing something wrong. Yet things that ‘don’t add up’ is the very nature of life. Yesterday I was struck by the glorious call to being awake from the daffodils and caught the urgency of being alive. Yet I also … Read more
Echoes of the storm’s song still swirling above the valley where seagulls collectively play in the wind, abandoned to the sheer delight of being. When did we stop trying to fly and thought it was advancement? + Sue Heatherington Pause. See differently. Re-story 🌿